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Yes On 8 Lawyers Will Ask CA Supreme Court To Invalidate Same Sex Marriages That Have Already Taken Place

On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court agreed to hear three lawsuits filed on behalf of same sex marriage supporters who want Proposition 8 overturned.  One big question mark is what happens to the thousands of gay couples who had marriages performed from mid-June through November 3rd.  Lawyers from Yes on 8 campaign are petitioning the court to invalidate those marriages but so far those marriages have been honored.  The courts have also said no more weddings can be performed until they issue a decision.

Spare The Air Violators Escape Being Caught

There is someone from Mill Valley, Woodacre and possibly Novato, San Rafael and Kentfield who ignored the ban on fireplace smoke yesterday.  Those were the cities that air quality officials received complaints about wood being burned.  There were about 70 inspectors out and about Wednesday in the Bay Area to try and track down the violators, including Marin.  But no one in Marin was actually cited.

It was the first day that Bay Area Air Quality Management District enacted the Winter Smoke Ban. 

There were some complaints though, from people who worried that residents who didn't watch TV or go on computers would not be aware of the ban.   Officials responded by providing a phone number that anyone can call before they decide to burn that nice log in the fireplace. 

Spare The Air info at 1-800-430-1515.

Marin Home Prices Continue To Plummet

The median home price dropped from $857,000 a year ago to $599,750 last month- a plunge of 30%  but those figures include condominium sales with an average sale price of $315,000.  If the figures took only single family homes into account, the median price would be $850,000, down 13% from a year ago when the median price for a single family dwelling stood at $978,000.

The numbers of home sales jumped in the condo department as investors and bargain hunters snapped up 74 properties.  Sales of condos spiked 72% from the previous year.

Light That Log And Risk A Fine

The first ever Winter Spare The Air day popped up yesterday around the Bay Area; it's still in effect until Noon today.  The new law which was enacted over the summer, makes it illegal to light the fireplace when a Spare The Air day is announced.  And enforcers from the the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAQMD) are out making sure residents obey, or risk fines that can be as costly as $2,000.  The wood-burn ban was enacted in order to alleviate air pollution on certain bad air quality days.  The fireplace industry isn't too happy about the bans, which air quality officials predict are likely to be put in place approximately 20 times this winter season. 

The BAQMD will determine today if the Spare The Air ban will be lifted or extended another day.

CA Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Legal Challenges To Prop 8

The CA Supreme Court agreed to consider three lawsuits that ask for Proposition 8 to be nullified. Oral arguments could begin as early as March.  The court said that same sex marriages could not resume until it makes a ruling either way. 

Feature!- Giving In Marin with Meals Of Marin

Rita is lying in bed, and laughing.  The 88 year-old is recounting a few funny stories of an earlier, good time.  Except for the fact that you can clearly see she is bedridden, it would be hard to tell that times are not so good these days for the longtime Marin resident. 

Welcome to the second installment in our series, Giving in Marin.

Never Mind Health Insurance, You Might Even Have Trouble Finding A Doctor

Think you're frustrated with health care paperwork, HMO red tape and escalating insurance premiums?  Well, the doctors share your pain. 

Woolsey Pitches New Deal To Put America Back On Track

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey has called for the creation of a New Deal-like proposal that would spend billions of dollars and hire millions of workers to fix America's decaying infrastructure.  Woolsey, speaking Tuesday at a forum hosted by the Institute for America's Future, said-

"What America needs, and needs as quickly as we can deliver it, is a commitment to funding our domestic priorities with a bold infusion of resources.  The most obvious domestic need is our crumbling infrastructure."

She also noted that investments could also be used to further develop the eco/green industry movement, which would also produce jobs.

According to the Institute for America's Future, spending on infrastructure has been halved in recent years and the resultant massive problems will require the staggering sum of $1.6 trillion over the next several years to fix.

Getting Too Few Zzzzzzzzzzzzs Increases Cancer Risk

A new study from the National Cancer Institute involving nearly 6,000 women found that even if females reduced their cancer risk by regular exercise, those benefits were likely to be canceled if she got too little sleep.  Among physically active women, those who slept less than seven hours nightly had a 47% higher risk of cancer than those who slept longer.   Health officials who led the study, weren't sure how the sleep loss contributed to the higher risk of cancer, but chronic sleep loss has been associated with a myriad of other health problems including heart disease and diabetes.  Turns out Mom was right...turn out the light!

SoCal Wildfires Reminiscent Of Oakland-Berkeley Fire

Nine hundred and eighty of them, everything from mobile homes to mansions, went up in flames this past weekend, in the raging wildfires in Southern California.  We had our own terrible wildfires at the beginning of the 'fire season', but we seem to have escaped the usual autumn scorchers. We put the 'fire season' in quotes because the season in California seems to be year round these days. 

The speed and spread of the fires of this past weekend, is eerily reminiscent of the horrible 1991 Oakland Hills conflagration that consumed nearly 3,000 homes and apartments and remains one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.   Aside from numbers of structures lost, the main difference is in human life.  25 people died in the 1991 fire, but so far, no fatalities have been reported in the Tea, the Sayre and the Freeway Complex fires in Southern California.  (Photo courtesy of HuffPost)

Feature!- Anger And Hope At Anti Prop 8 Rally In San Rafael

"We will win!"

That was the rallying cry, and overall theme by Marin residents today at a gay marriage rights rally, on San Rafael City Hall steps.  It was part of a nationwide effort, Join The Impact, which called on gay rights advocates and supporters to rally against the passage of Proposition 8 in last week's election.

Click here to see the photo album and click below to see the rest of the story.

If The Birds Bother You Than Just Shoot 'Em!

That's apparently what some East Bay residents want to do. 

Seems a bunch of acorn woodpeckers are opting to bury their nuts in the sides of homes rather than in the trunks of trees, and that has the residents at the Rossmoor retirement community peeved.  They've tried all manner of tricks to get rid of the birds, including noisemakers, but to no avail, so they're threatening to actually shoot as many as 50 of the birds, within a week! 

Normally it would be illegal to shoot woodpeckers, but these geriatric gunslingers were able to obtain a yearlong permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Carpool Lane Opens On 101...At Least In One Direction

Commuters going South Bound this morning got some long overdue relief in the morning rush. Caltrans opened a mile-long carpool lane stretching from Central San Rafael to the 101/580 interchange.  As this ABCVideo shows, traffic was moving smoothly, although it was probably really early.  We're sure commuters are looking forward to January when both South Bound and North Bound continuous carpool lanes will be up and running.

He Surfs, He Skateboards, He Paints- Here's Another Look At Ian Ross

Earlier this year MoreMarin profiled artist Ian Ross during Marin Open Studios.  His 'live painting' performances are all over YouTube, but VIMBY (Video In My BackYard) has an incredible new internet video that really captures Ian's art.  Take a look-

VIMBY - Ian Ross

Feeling Flu-ish? Google Could've Predicted That

These days everyone uses the internet to seek information on everything from news to shopping to health.  And if you're feeling sick, you're probably likely to enter your symptoms into the mighty search engine Google in order to get that information, right?

Feature!- Giving In Marin With Don Santa And Woodlands Market

Don Santa greets us wearing jeans, flip-flops and Livestrong pullover.  The owner of uber-successful Woodlands Market in Kentfield, doesn't exactly fit the image of a business executive.  But when it comes to giving back to the community, Santa is all business. 

This is the first in a series of stories on people and organizations who are Giving in Marin-

Yikes, This Map Is Scary

Here's a map showing percentages of homeowners whose homes are worth less than what they owe on them.  It shows all Bay Area counties and every one, except San Francisco, has double-digit percentages of the so-called 'underwater homes.' 

Poor Ugly Gus

Gus, winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair this past summer, has died of cancer.  The three-legged, one-eyed Chinese Crested from Florida was awarded the dubious honor after being rescued from an abusive household.  The tiny pup lost his eye after a cat fight and his leg after a skin tumor.  Now he's lost the final battle.

(photo courtesy of Press Democrat)

Why An iPod Might Not Be Such A Great Gift For Grandpa

One out of every four people with pacemakers, experienced some kind of interference when they wore their iPod earbud type earphones.  In one case, a pacemaker reset itself.  A cardiologist in Boston conducted the study which showed a correlation between earphones, especially the smaller earbud variety and disruption of pacemakers and implanted defibrillators.   The tiny headphones contain powerful magnets, and thats whats causing the interference.  iPods themselves, and other MP3 players, pose no threat according to the health officials.  But it's kinda hard to hear an iPod without the headphones...

Home Square Footage Prices Decline In 90% Of Bay Area

Bay Area home prices have plunged in almost every zip code during the past year, except for a very few.  In some cases, the decline has been in the double digits.  The analysis was computed using the price paid per square foot, rather than median home price which can be skewed by homes sold at the extreme high and low ends of the market. 

There were some surprises in Marin,though.  We checked the 'home price per square foot database' and found that in some cases, home price increased over the same time last year.  In fact three communities in Marin experienced double digit increases in price per square foot.  Check out the database to see how your town fared. 

Feature- The Next Key Is The Next Step In Fighting Homelessness

Any one of us could be just one paycheck away from losing our home, one hardship away from losing everything, one step away from homelessness.

Guv Calls For Cuts And Taxes To Fix The Budget Shortfall

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has just called a special legislative session to try and tackle the yawning budget shortfall of $11 billion dollars, and he wants to do it by cutting services and..gasp...by raising taxes!

Citing the Wall Street meltdown, Schwarzenegger says the cuts and taxes are necessary to "stop the bleeding."  Most of the spending cuts would be from education; both primary and secondary schools.  He is also asking that state employees take one unpaid day off each month, eliminate two state holidays and premium pay for working on a holiday.

He's also proposing raising the sales tax by 1 1/2 cents for three years, imposing an oil severance tax on each barrel of oil produced in California and increasing alcohol excise taxes.  And in order to increase employment, he'd like to accelerate infrastructure building and permit processes, including eliminating some environmental regulations in order to speed it up. 

The current legislative session ends at the end of November and the Governor is hoping there is action taken before then.

Heart Attacks Rise When Clocks Are Set Ahead

You know the old adage, "spring ahead" and "fall back."  Those are the nifty little phrases we use to prompt ourselves to turn our clocks ahead for daylight savings time come Spring, and then turn them back again in Autumn for standard time. 

Well now researchers say that turning the clock ahead can give you a lot worse things than a bit less less sleep; like a heart attack for instance.

Give Way To Pedestrians Or Risk A Ticket

Police issued nearly 50 citations to drivers in Novato who failed to yield to the pedestrians in six intersections on Tuesday.  It was a decoy sting operation with plainclothes police who pretended to be pedestrians and walked in the intersections only when the approaching vehicle was far enough away to come to a total stop.  If the car failed to stop, a nearby motorcycle cop would write the ticket after videotaping the violation.  The intersections in Novato were chosen because of high pedestrian rates.  So watch out drivers and give pedestrians the right of way; it's not  only the right thing to do, it's the law!

Foreclosures In State Still Climbing, Including Marin

The past quarter showed a three-fold increase in the number of foreclosures in California, nearly 80,000.  In the Bay Area, over 12,000 homes fell into foreclosure during the past three months.  Contra Costa County led with 3,662, the most, and Marin County, with 149 had the least.  But even if Marin's numbers were well behind other counties, it was still a huge jump from the 41 during the same period last year.  Most of the foreclosed homes were in Novato and San Rafael.  But as one Realtor noted, even with the increase, over 99% of people's homes are not in foreclosure.  We guess that's one way to look at it.

Thanks A Lot

We knew someone would come out with this lovely prediction sooner or later.  Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton just wrote an op-ed piece in the The New York Daily News yesterday that warned Americans to beware of...you guessed it...Osama Bin Laden.  Bratton cites the international support for Barack Obama as one reason he thinks OBL would strike in order to sway the election towards McCain.  Obama is generally liked, even in Muslim countries, whereas an elected John McCain would be more likely to engender anti-American resentment.  Bratton wrote-

"Bin Laden probably realizes it could become markedly more difficult to paint the United States as the "Great Satan" with a new President who is admired internationally. The remaining 14 days before the elections should be seen as a time of high threat, and state and local police should be on high alert. With so much at stake in these elections, Bin Laden will probably attempt to make his opinion count."

Swell.

Here's a video clip with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Richard Clarke having a heart to heart on OBL and his effect on the election.

    

Bay Area Home Sales Skyrocket While Prices Plunge and Condos Are Hot In Marin

Homes in the Bay Area set two records during the month of September.  One was for the number of houses sold- 5,499- and one was for the largest drop in price- a full 40% less this year, than last.  Most of the sales occurred in the lower priced homes, in the lowest priced inland areas of Contra Costa, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties.  Marin experienced white-hot condo sales, as 69 sold in September a 97% increase from August.  But the median price for condos dropped from $415,000 in August all the way down to $325,000 in September, mirroring the sales-skyrocket/price-plunge of the Bay Area in general.  House sales in Marin were also up, but mostly in the lower end markets.  Experts note that the buying activity occurred before the credit crisis/stock drops that nailed the financial markets in October, and that home purchased have cooled in October.  Check out the Marin IJ's home sales database, which is updated weekly.

Scary Halloween House Is No Treat For Youngsters

Halloween conjures up images of ghosts, witches and black cats to most people, but a San Rafael resident takes the scary theme one step further when he decorates his home with scenes from Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  And some people say the images are downright frightening, especially to youngsters who must walk past the house every day on their way to an elementary school down the street.
J.D.  Diego, who owns the house, says the scary figures are what Halloween is all about, and he pooh-poohs the naysayers who claim the gory scenes- complete with dismembered corpses and body parts- are too scary for kids.  Some parents say it's fine, but others claim he goes over the line with some images, including one of a nun holding crucifix in one hand, and a spine in the other. 

Update- The IJ site seems to be down, so here's a look at a KTVU story on the scary house.

The IJ has the story including a short video interview with the owner.  Do you think it's too much or much ado about nothing? 

Obama Ads Inside Of Video Games

In the 'what will they think of next category' comes this story.  The Obama campaign has placed ads actually in the video games themselves.  KRON4 shows us how high tech is influencing campaigning in 2008-

    

Carlos Santana Offers Grade Schoolers Some Spirituality

Carlos Santana played the preacher, but he was still greeted like a rock star at the Davidson Middle School on Thursday.  Santana was there to try and intone a bit of spirituality in the kids, as part of Spanish Heritage Month.  Many of Davidson's students are Hispanic.  Santana actually got the kids to quiet down and listen as he encouraged them to "visit your own heart and touch your own light."  We think they might have enjoyed a rocking rendition of Black Magic Woman even more.

Coyote Danger To Pets In Marin

A number of house cats have disappeared in Woodacre over the past few months and officials suspect coyotes.  Coyotes are a particular problem in West Marin, the Headlands and urban areas in Marin, and even San Francisco.

Marin Teen's Opinion On The Cult Of Obama

"We’d kill you if you didn’t vote for Obama," said a woman to my left, and everyone laughed. Their voices were intended to convey amused superiority, but on their faces I saw the threat verbalized by P. Diddy in his "Vote or Die" campaign.  Cue new voter walking away, disgusted.

Intolerance can swing both ways as Redwood High School student, Jonathan Kramer-Feldman writes in his revealing essay on his experience registering to vote.

Net Is The Golden Gate Bridge Directors Choice For Suicide Barrier

On Friday, in a nearly unified 14-1 vote, the Golden Gate Bridge district directors elected to go ahead with plans to install a stainless-steel net underneath the structure.  The net is designed to prevent suicide by collapsing around anyone who jumps off the bridge.  (graphic courtesy of SF Chronicle)

Halloween Deadline For California "Bailout"

A new report on the California economy says it's in a deep trouble.  Just a few days ago we told you about the $7 billion dollar loan that the Governor says is necessary to keep the state running in the short term.  In fact the State Treasurer says that we'll need that cash by the end of October to pay teachers and other state workers.  KRON4 has this video report.

    

Marin Teen Rocks The County- Featuring Matt Jaffe

Classical roots, a strong dose of jazz and the poetic punch of folk music all combine to make this teen troubadour something special.  Meet Marin County's singer-songwriter sensation, Matt Jaffe, in MoreCulture.

Dogs And Cats Make The Grade; Turtles, Hamsters And Lizards Do Not

Pediatricians have put the kabosh on 'non-traditional' pets.  They say owning so-called exotic pets like hedgehogs and iguanas as well as more common pets like turtles, chicks and hamsters can be dangerous, especially to kids under 5.

The American Academy of Pediatrics just released a study that spelled out the dangers.  Salmonella- which causes diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and nausea- has been found in chicks, hamsters, lizards and turtles.  The researchers believe that 11% of salmonella infection can be traced to these pets. 

Hedgehogs can prick skin with their quills, making the child susceptible to fevers, stomach pain and rash.

The study pointed out the particular danger of younger children and exotics, because the very young tend to put their hands in their mouth after handling the pets. 

Looks like the Fido is man's best friend after all.  (And Fluffy too...!)

What Economic Rescue Plan?

We guess someone forgot to tell Wall Street that the economic rescue plan- more commonly referred to as bailout- actually passed.   Monday's record 800 point  plunge coupled with the dip below the 10,000 mark for the first time in four years sounded a lot like panic.  But the market gained enough points to close only 350 points down, which these days sounds like a relatively good day.  News about consumer spending, which appears to have virtually stopped, won't bode well for the faltering economy either.  Auto sales, restaurant biz and most discretionary spending has been cut way back. 

You'd think with economic disaster staring us in the face, the candidates would focus on the task at hand, instead of suddenly reversing past promises to keep the campaign out of the mud.  Palin drew first blood over the weekend with her campaign stop references to Obama's past association with Weather Underground members.  Then McCain carried character issues onto the stump, while Obama hit back with a 13 minute video reminding voters about McCain's past involvement in the Keating scandal. 

Hey guys, it's the economy, stupid!

Prop 8 Supporters Sign Off

A million signs that were supposed to show support for the anti-gay marriage measure didn't make their debut.  The pro-Prop 8 signs, supporting the amendment that would limit marriage to between a man and a woman, were supposed to be planted on a million front lawns across the state in a massive one day planting project that was supposed to take place in...September. 

Only it didn't happen.

The Protect Marriage Coalition which ordered the signs from a California company has yet to receive most of the signs which were apparently manufactured overseas. 

Meanwhile, the anti-Prop 8 contingent, Equality California, say they've received all their political signs which they are busy planting in laws everywhere. 

And the spokesperson added that their signs were made in a "union shop in Kansas."

The Economic Crisis Is Even Affecting Illegal Immigration

If someone were to ask you- is illegal immigration growing or shrinking, how would you answer?  Most of us are probably under the impression that the numbers are going up every year.

Wrong.

If the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington D.C. who studies these things is correct, the answer is shrinking.  They claim in a study to be released today, that 25% less undocumented Mexicans have entered our country since a peak in 2005 and that illegal immigration from Central America is 50% less.  According to this Wall Street Journal article, many aren't bothering to enter and many more who already in this country, are even leaving due in large part to the terrible economic conditions found in the U.S.

The backward immigration wave began certainly as a result of President Bush's immigration policy; raids on workplaces, fines and criminal charges levied on undocumented workers and deportation efforts.  But the  increasing unemployment woes usually targets those at the bottom first, and a lot of them are immigrant workers.

The article goes on to note that immigration reversal isn't new; in fact it points out that nearly one third of the 30 million immigrants who arrived on U.S. shores between the Civil War and World War I wound up going back to their homelands.      (photo courtesy of JewishJournal.com)

Coming To A Mailbox Near You- Anthrax Antiobiotics?

The feds have come up with an interesting idea.  If there was another anthrax attack, your friendly, neighborhood mail carrier may be called upon to deliver the antibiotics necessary to fight infection. 

Part Of L.A.? No Thanks, East L.A. Wants To Be Its Own City

When you think of East L.A., visions of Mexican-American culture- lowrider cars, Latin-based musical rhythms and Mexican food- comes to mind.  That's because 96% of the 130,000 residents of this seven-and-a-half square mile area are Latino. 

East L.A., an unincorporated part of Los Angeles has been described as the 'epicenter of Latino culture' and many residents feel they deserve their own city.  Although this isn't the first effort at incorporation, proponents feel they've got a real shot at this time because a lot of East Los Angelenos don't feel they are given their due from Los Angeles. 

But don't look for the signs to the city of East L.A. anytime soon.  It won't come up for a vote for at least two years.

Housing Prices Continue To Drop- Steep Decline In July

Home prices fell at a faster pace in July according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home report.  The two cities that dropped the most; Las Vegas and Phoenix.  Those home prices have sunk nearly 30% during the last year. 

Economic experts say the nationwide average 16.3% decline from the previous year, indicates the housing recession is not even close to hitting bottom, especially since the drop occurred before the Wall Street credit crunch.  In fact, most experts predict continued declines until a bottoming out in late 2009 or even 2010. 

Marin County Woman Joins Other 100 Year-Old Drivers

Pauline Angleman of Corte Madera is the latest person to join an exclusive club; drivers who are 100 years old!  There are only 212 centenerian drivers in the state and Angleman- who just renewed her license and turns 100 this coming weekend- has had only one fender bender since she started driving back in 1928. 
(Photo courtesy of the Marin IJ)

Shortest Average Commute, Largest Percentage Of Immigrants, Highest Share Of Mobile Homes And Other Fascinating Census Facts

The Census Bureau released its 2007 American Community Survey, which is the government's annual estimates of economic, social and housing variables for the nation.  Check out some of these fun facts about your neighbors across the U.S.!

Real Estate Home Prices Up And Down

If you're wondering how your neighborhood stacks up in the real estate valuation game, then check out this nifty little database from SFGate.  You can see which towns in Marin show a gain in median price, and those that dropped.  Big winner is the town of Ross with a median priced home of $2,853,000, up a whopping 86% from the same time last year.  It's no surprise that foreclosure-heavy Novato plummeted the most, dropping 51% to a median home price of $350,000 in the 94947 zip. 

Could Tainted Milk Products From China Be On Bay Area Grocery Shelves?

Reports of thousands of Chinese children sickened and killed by tainted milk in China have U.S. health officials searching for any of the contaminated products here in the Bay Area.  Fed and state health inspectors have been checking milk, and milk products in Asian grocery stores and found a Chinese confection called White Rabbit in boxes in one San Pablo store.  Melamine has been found in that candy, and those boxes were yanked immediately.  There are a few other products that may be found in the U.S. including-

**Choice Dairy Yoghurt Flavored Ice Confection

**Dutch Lady brand of strawberry flavored milk

**Milk from the Yili Group and the China Mengniu Dairy Company

**Powdered milk from Sanlu, Suncare and Yashili.

Melamine is an industrial plastic powder that can boost protein counts.  Investigators believe that unscrupulous dairy farmers or plant managers added the substance to watered down milk products.  Melamine was also responsible for tainted pet food epidemic last year.   CBS5 has a video report here.

Bay Area Home Prices Experience Steep Drop In August

Home prices continued to drop in the Bay Area as a research firm study showed a 31% drop in the month of August.  MDA Dataquick data revealed a drop in Marin County median home price as well, showing up as $675,000 when counting all condos and houses.  That is down 25% from a year ago, when median prices were around $900,000.  The research showed foreclosure activity in the County was still low compared to others like Solano and and Contra Costa.  Condo sales, however, were way up in Marin.

The Hot Color For Home This Fall Is... Cool Blue

We'd like to introduce our newest columnist, Megan Richcreek!  Megan is recent U.C. Davis graduate and lifelong Marin resident.  She'll be covering fashion, food and film among other things, and we're delighted to have a fresh voice on MoreMarin. 

If you're looking for a way to update a room this fall, Megan has the scoop on the latest color trends to hit the home design market, in her article in MoreShelter.